Avery  Architectural  and  Fine  Arts  Library 
Gift  of  Seymour  B.  Durst  Old  York  Library 


SUBSCRIBERS 


FULL  LEXGTH  PORTRAIT  OF 


MARTHA  WASHINGTON, 


ENGRAVED  ON  STEEL 


PUBLISHED  BY  J".  C.  BUTTRE, 
48   FRANKLIN  STREET, 
NEW  YORK. 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2014 


http://archive.org/details/marthawashingtonOOIoss_0 


MARTHA  WASHINGTON. 


BY 


BENSON  J.  LOSSING. 


NEW  YORK: 
S.  C.  BUTTRE,  48  FRANKLIN"  STREET. 
1865. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1S63,  by 
J.   C.   BUTT  RE, 
Clerk's  Offine  of  the  District  Court  of  the  United  State*  for  the  Southern  District 
of  >'ew  Yurk. 


TO    THE  COUNTRYWOMEN 

OF 

THA  -WA-SHHsTG-TOKr 

THIS  BRIEF  MEMOIR 
OF 

THEIR   DISTINGUISHED  FRIEND 
IS  RES1 ECTFULLT 

DEDICATED. 


MARTHA  "WASHINGTON. 


In  the  drawing-room  at  Arlington  House,  in 
Virginia,  is  a  portrait  of  a  beautiful  woman,  young 
and  elegant,  yet  of  matronly  gravity.  She  is 
dressed  richly,  but  in  simple  patterns  and  dignified 
arrangements.  She  is  plucking  a  blossom  from  a 
shrub,  apparently  unconscious  of  the  act,  for  her 
thoughts  are  evidently  in  the  direction  of  her  eyes 
that  beam  upon  some  more  distant  object.  It  is  a 
pleasant  picture,  painted  more  than  a  hundred 
years  ago,  by  Woolaston,  whose  praises  were  sung 
by  the  author  of  11  The  Battle  of  the  Kegs,"  as 
early  as  1758.  It  is  the  portrait  of  Martha  Custis, 
a  wealthy  widow,  and  one  of  the  most  attractive 
of  the  women  who  graced  the  Yice-regal  court  at 
Williamsburg,  the  ancient  capital  of  Virginia. 

Martha  Dandridge,  whose  ancestor,  first  in  the 

colonies,  was  a  Welsh  clergyman,  was  a  sweet  little 

girl  of  seventeen;  when  her  charms  of  mind  and 

1*  9 


10 


MARTHA  'WASHINGTON'. 


person  captivated  the  feelings  of  Daniel  Parke, 
only  son  and  heir  of  Colonel  John  Custis,  one  of 
the  King's  Councillors  for  Virginia.  Custis  was  a 
proud,  ambitious,  and  impracticable  man,  whose 
life  had  been  embittered  by  unfortunate  connubial 
relations.  He  had  married  a  lady,  concerning 
whom,  twice  in  his  life,  he  wrote  with  deep  feel- 
ing. 

"  May  angels  guard  my  dearest  Fidelia,"  lie 
wrote  to  her  six  months  before  marriage,  "  and  de- 
liver her  safe  to  my  arms,  at  our -next  meeting  ; 
and  sure  they  won't  refuse  their  protection  to  a 
creature  so  pure  and  charming,  that  it  would  be 
easy  for  them  to  mistake  her  for  one  of  them- 
selves." Ileedless  of  the  warning  of  friends  who 
well  knew  her  disposition,  he  married  her.  She 
passed  away  in  the  course  of  years,  and  he  again 
wrote  in  reference  to  her.  It  was  in  his  last  Will 
and  Testament,  in  which  he  directed  his  son,  under 
penalty  of  disinheritance,  to  engrave  upon  his 
monument,  after  giving  his  name,  titles  and  age, 
these  words — "and  yet  lived  but  seven  years, 
which  were  the  space  of  time  he  kept  a  bachelor's 
home  at  Arlington,  on  the  Eastern  Shore  of  Vir- 
ginia." 

Colonel  Custis  desired  the  beautiful  and  accom- 
plished Evelyn,  daughter  of  Colonel  William  Byrd, 
of  TTestover,  for  his  daughter-in-law ;  but  he  was  so 
exacting  in  his  proposed  pecuniary  arrangements, 
that  the  father  of  the  maiden  was  compelled  to 
write  to  the  suitor  that  while  he  should  prefer  him 
above  all  others  for  a  son-in-law,  he  would  not 


MARTHA  "WASHINGTON. 


11 


"trust  to  such  a  phantom  as  Colonel  Custis's 
generosity." 

While  negotiations  between  the  two  fathers  were 
pending,  little  Martha  Dandridge  crossed  the  path 
of  the  affections  of  the  younger  Custis,  and  Evelyn 
Byrd  was  almost  forgotten.  The  ambitious  Col- 
onel Custis  was  sadly  disturbed  by  this  change  in 
the  prospects  of  his  matrimonial  schemes  for  his 
son.  He  stormed,  threatened  disinheritance  of 
fortune  and  parental  affection,  and  refused  to  listen 
for  a  moment  to  the  appeals  of  the  one  most  inte- 
rested in  the  matter.  Rumor  of  this  state  of  things 
went  abroad.  Martha  was  loved  by  everybody, 
and  from  every  lip  fell  praises  o.f  her  beauty,  good 
sense  and  amiability,  upon  the  ears  of  the  foiled 
colonel.  Assailed  at  all  points,  he  finally  surren- 
dered, and  wrote  upon  a  piece  of  fair  white  paper, 
— "  I  give  my  free  consent  to  the  union  of  my  son 
with  Miss  Martha  Dandridge."  The  friend  of  the 
ha,ppy  suitor  to  whom  this  important  document 
was  handed,  immediately  wrote  to  young  Custis 
saying  : 

' '  This  comes  at  last  to  bring  you  the  news  that 
I  believe  will  be  most  agreeable  to  you  of  any  you 
have  ever  heard.  That  you  may  not  be  long  in  sus- 
pense, I  shall  tell  you  at  once.  I  am  empowered 
by  your  father  to  let  you  know  that  he  heartily 
and  willingly  consents  to  your  marriage  with  Miss 
Dandridge — that  he  has  so  good  a  character  of  her 
that  he  had  rather  you  should  have  her  than  any 
lady  in  Virginia — nay,  if  possible,  he  is  as  much 


12 


MAinir  v  WASHINGTON. 


enamored  with  her  character  as  you  are  with  her 
person,  and  this  is  owing  chiefly  to  a  prudent 
speech  of  her  own.  Hurry  down  immediately,  for 
fear  he  should  change  the  strong  inclination  he 
has  to  your  marrying  directly.  I  staid  with  him 
all  night,  and  presented  Jack  [Colonel  CustisV 
favorite  negro  boy]  with  my  little  Jack's  horse, 
bridle  and  saddle,  in  your  name,  which  was  taken 
as  a  singular  favor.  I  shall  say  no  more,  as  I 
expect  to  see  you  soon  to-morrow,  but  conclude 
what  I  really  am, 

"Your  most  obliged  and  .affectionate  humble  servant. 

"  J.  Power. 

41  To  Col.  Daniel  Tarke  Ccstis,  New  Kent." 

The  happy  couple  were  soon  afterward  married, 
and  the  father  of  the  bridegroom  never  ceased  to 
rejoice  in  the  good  fortune  of  his  son  in  marrying 
such  a  charming  girl.  They  took  up  their  abode 
at  the  White  House,  on  the  bank  of  the  Pamun- 
key  River,  in  New  Kent  County,  and  were  blessed 
with  four  children.  In  the  summer  of  1757,  the 
husband  died,  leaving  Martha,  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
five,  one  of  the  wealthiest  widows  in  Virginia,  and 
with  beauty  unimpaired. 

Toward  noon  on  a  pleasant  clay  in  May,  1758, 
a  fine  looking  young  military  officer,  accompanied 
by  a  dignified  black  body-servant,  crossed  "Wil- 
liams'* Ferry  on  the  Pamunkey,  not  far  from 
its  junction  with  the  York  River.  He  was  met  by 
Mr.  Chamberlayne,  a  gentleman  living  near,  and 


MARTHA  WASHTN'GTOjSr. 


13 


invited  to  his  house  to  partake  of  its  hospitalities. 
The  young  officer  politely  declined,  giving,  as  a 
sufficient  reason,  the  urgency  of  his  business.  He 
was  just  from  the  British  and  Provincial  army, 
then  in  the  early  stages  of  its  march  toward  Fort 
Du  Quesne,  and  was  hastening  toward  Williams- 
burg to  lay  matters  of  importance  before  the  Go- 
vernor and  Council  of  Virginia.  But  Chamber- 
layne,  who  coveted  the  honor  of  entertaining  such 
a  guest,  and  whose  hospitality  would  never  allow 
a  stranger  to  pass  by  without  attention,  would 
listen  to  no  excuses.  He  assured  the  soldier  that 
the  detention  would  be  slight,  as  his  dinner  hour 
was  early.  The  officer  persisted  in  his  determina- 
tion to  ride  on,  when  Chamberlayne  brought  a 
most  potent  argument  to  bear  upon  the  traveller. 
He  informed  him  that  a  charming  young  widow 
was  a  guest  in  his  family,  and  that  an  interview 
with  her  during  the  dinner  hour  would  be  full 
compensation  for  every  inconvenience  that  might 
be  felt  in  riding  later  at  night.  To  this  argument 
the  officer  yielded,  and  accompanied  the  hospitable 
Virginian  to  his  mansion.  Several  guests  were 
there.  These  felt  honored  by  the  presence  of  the 
stranger,  for  it  was  Colonel  George  Washington, 
whose  fame  as  a  brave  and  judicious  military 
leader  was  at  that  time  rapidly  blossoming,  and 
whose  name  had  become  familiar  in  households 
far  beyond  the  borders  of  Virginia.  He  was  in- 
troduced to  the  young  widow,  Martha  Custis, 
whose  husband  had  then  been  dead  about  a  year. 
They  were  nearly  of  the  same  age — he  three 


14 


MA1ITIIA  WASHINGTON. 


months  older  than  she.  They  were  mutually 
pleased. 

The  company  sat  long  at  table.  Colonel  Wash- 
ington seemed  in  no  haste  to  leave  it,  or  to  take 
his  departure  from  the  house.  Bishop,  his  faithful 
body-servant,  who  had  been  bequeathed  to  him 
by  the  dying  Bradduck,  when  carried  from  the 
bloody  field  of  the  Monongahcla,  had  held  his  mas- 
ter's horse  much  longer  than  he  expected  to,  when 
ordered  to  have  him  in  readiness  immediately  after 
dinner.  The  sun  approached  the  western  hills, 
and  yet  Bishop  was  at  his  post.  The  Colonel  lin- 
gered with  the  charming  widow,  who  had  fairly 
captivated  him  ;  and  Bishop,  to  his  great  astonish- 
ment, was  at  last  ordered  to  stable  the  horses  for 
the  night. 

It  was  late  the  next  morning  before  Colonel 
Washington  resumed  his  journey.  The  blossoms 
of  May  never  appeared  so  fragrant  to  him.  Far 
into  the  night  had  he  and  Mrs.  Custis  been  closeted 
in  earnest  conversation  ;  and  when  the  business  of 
his  errand  to  Williamsburg  was  completed,  the 
young  warrior  repaired  to  the  White  House,  the 
residence  of  the  widow,  where  a  marriage  engage- 
ment was  speedily  consummated.  He  then  has- 
tened to  the  army,  and  toiled  month  after  month 
among  the  mountains  in  the  direction  of  the  Ohio, 
until  late  in  Xovember,  when  the  troops  that  he 
commanded  raised  the  British  flag  over  the  smok- 
ing ruins  of  Fort  Du  Quesne,  which  the  French 
and  Indians  had  burned  and  deserted  on  the  ap- 
proach of  the  invaders.    Colonel  Washington  then 


MARTHA  WASHINGTON. 


15 


returned  to  Mount  Vernon,  clothed  in  immortal 
honor. 

A  brilliant  company  of  Virginia's  sons  and 
daughters  were  assembled  at  the  White  House  on 
the  17th  of  January,  1759,  Old  Style.  It  was  the 
wedding-day  of  the  mistress  of  the  mansion.  The 
Reverend  David  Mossom,  rector  of  the  neighbor- 
ing parish  Church  of  St.  Peters,  was  the  magician 
who,  by  the  alchemy  of  the  marriage  ritual, 
changed  the  name  of  Martha  Custis  to  Martha 
Washington. 

"  And  so  you  remember,"  said  the  grandson  of 
the  bride,  to  old  Cully,  her  servant,  then  in  his 
hundredth  year — "  and  so  you  remember  when 
Colonel  Washington  came  a-courting  your  young 
mistress  ?" 

"  Aye,  master,  that  I  do,"  said  Cully.  "  Great 
times,  sir  ;  great  times — shall  never  see  the  like 
again." 

"  And  Washington  looked  something  like  a  man 
— a  proper  man,  hey,  Cully  ?" 

"  Never  seed  the  like,  sir — never  the  like  of  him, 
though  I  have  seen  many  in  my  day — so  tall,  so 
straight,  and  then  he  sat  on  a  horse  and  rode  with 
such  an  air !  Ah,  sir,  he  was  like  no  one  else. 
Many  of  the  grandest  gentlemen,  in  the  gold  lace, 
were  at  the  wedding  ;  but  none  looked  like  the 
man  himself,  master.'7  * 

Washington  was  then  an  attendant  member  of 
the  Virginia  House  of  Burgesses,  and  for  three 
months,  while  official  duties  detained  him  at  Wil- 

*  Custis's  Recollections  of  Washington. 


16 


MARTHA  WASIIIXfiToX. 


liamsburg,  he  resided  at  the  White  House.  At 
the  close  of  the  session  lie  returned  to  Mount  Ver- 
non, taking  with  him  his  bride  and  her  two  sur- 
viving children,  John  Parke  and  Martha  Parke 
Custis.  Then  commenced  that  sweet  domestic  life 
at  Mount  Yernon,  which  always  possessed  a  most 
powerful  charm  for  its  illustrious  owner.  "lain 
now,  I  believe,"  he  wrote  to  a  kinsman  hi  London, 
"fixed  in  this  seat  with  an  agreeable  partner  for 
life,  and  I  hope  to  find  more  happiness  in  retire- 
ment than  I  ever  experienced  in  the  wide  and 
bustling  world." 

Mrs.  Washington,  at  the  time  of  her  second  mar- 
riage, was  nearly  seven-and-twenty  years  of  age. 
She  was  a  small,  plump,  elegantly  formed  woman. 
"  Her  eyes,"  we  have  elsewhere  said,  "  were  dark, 
and  expressive  of  the  most  kindly  good  nature  ; 
her  complexion  fair  ;  her  features  beautiful ;  and 
her  whole  face  beamed  with  intelligence.  Her 
temper,  though  quick,  was  sweet  and  placable,  and 
her  manners  were  extremely  winning.    She  was 
full  of  life,  loved  the  society  of  her  friends,  always 
dressed  with  a  scrupulous  regard  to  the  require- 
ments of  the  best  fashions  of  the  day,  and  was,  in 
every  respect,  a  brilliant  member  of  the  social  circle 
which,  before  the  Revolution,  composed  the  Vice- 
regal court  at  the  old  Virginia  capital."  * 

Mount  Vernon  was  one  of  the  centres  of  a  most 
delightful  society  along  the  Potomac,  and  Mrs. 
Washington  presided  as  mistress  there,  with  great 

dignity  and  urbanity.    The  mansion  was  seldom 
i 

*  Mount  Vernon  and  its  Associations. 


MARTHA  WASHINGTON. 


17 


without  guests,  either  permanent  visitors  or  neigh- 
bors, who  came  to  join  Washington  in  the  sports  of 
the  chase.  These  generally  dined  at  Mount  Yernon 
toward  the  close  of  the  day,  and  frequently  spent 
the  night  there. 

Although  Mrs.  Washington  was  a  devoted  mo- 
ther, and  domestic  in  her  tastes  and  habits,  yet  in 
all  the  years  preceding  the  Revolution,  she  was 
much  abroad  with  her  husband,  and  was  frequently 
seen  with  him  at  the  theatres  and  dancing  assem- 
blies at  Annapolis  and  Williamsburg,  the  respec- 
tive capitals  of  Maryland  and  Virginia.  She  had 
at  her  disposal  a  chariot  and  four  horses,  with 
black  postillions  in  livery,  for  the  use  of  herself 
and  lady  visitors  ;  and  her  equipage  was  frequently 
seen  upon  the  road  between  Mount  Yernon  and 
Alexandria,  or  the  adjacent  estates. 

Domestic  happiness  at  Mount  Yernon  appeared 
to  be  unalloyed,  until  the  year  1773,  when  death 
took  from  Mrs.  Washington  her  daughter,  Martha 
Parke,  a  girl  of  rare  beauty,  sixteen  years  of  age, 
whose  complexion  had  won  for  her  the  common 
appellation  of  "  the  dark  lady."  That  trial  was  a 
severe  one  for  the  fond  mother,  and  almost  equally 
so  for  the  step-father,  who  loved  the  maiden  as  if 
she  had  been  his  own  child.  Coming  home  after  a 
long  absence  on  public  business,  he  found  her  in 
the  last  stages  of  consumption.  He  knelt  at  her 
bedside  and  offered  up  fervent  prayers  for  her  re- 
covery. But  the  inexorable  summons  had  gone 
forth.  She  died  ;  and  Washington,  who  had  made 
arrangements  for  a  journey  into  the  wilderness, 


18 


MARTHA  WASHINGTON. 


with  Lord  Duninore,  the  governor,  remained  at 
home  to  soothe  his  wife,  and  recover,  himself,  from 
the  shock  of  sudden  bereavement. 

Less  than  two  years  afterward,  Mrs.  Washington 
was  called  to  endure  other  trials.  "War  had  been 
kindled  between  England  and  her  American 
colonies.  It  partook  largely  of  the  most  bitter 
civil  discord  in  its  practical  effects.  Neighbor  was 
arrayed  against  neighbor,  family  against  family, 
and  sometimes  brother  against  brother.  The  Fair- 
faxes of  Bel  voir  became  the  political  antagonists 
of  the  Masons  of  Gunston  Hal}  and  the  Washing- 
ton! of  Mount  Yernon.  The  delightful  social  life, 
so  long  enjoyed  in  that  neighborhood,  was  changed. 
Instead  of  peace,  and  confidence,  and  kind  feel- 
ings, there  was  strife,  and  distrust,  and  heart- 
burnings. There  was  isolation  and  alienation 
everywhere. 

Washington  was  called,  first  to  the  Senate  of 
the  revolted  colonies,  and  then  to  the  chief  com- 
mand of  their  armies  ;  and  his  wife  was  widowed 
most  of  the  time  for  more  than  seven  years.  She 
managed  domestic  affairs,  in  the  midst  of  the  con- 
fusion and  frequent  alarms,  with  fortitude,  vigor, 
and  prudence.  In  winter  she  visited  the  camp, 
and  was  an  honored  guest  at  the  head-quarters  of 
the  army.  "  Lady  Washington,  God  bless  her!77 
was  the  toast  at  every  convivial  assemblage  of  the 
soldiers  of  every  rank.  At  Cambridge,  at  Xew 
York,  at  Morristown,  Middlebrook,  Whitemarsh, 
and  Yalley  Forge,  at  Princeton  and  Xewburgh, 
she  was  ever  the  delight  of  the  camp  and  of  the 


MAETIIA  WASHIXGTOX.  19 

neighborhood,  wherever  the  flag  of  the  Great 
Leader  was  unfurled. 

At  length  the  allied  armies  of  America  and 
France  marched  to  the  deadly  conflict  at  York- 
town.    Mrs.  "Washington's  son,  and  only  remain- 
ing child,  accompanied  the  chief  as  aid-de-camp, 
leaving  his  young  wife,  a  scion  of  the  noble  family 
of  Lord  Baltimore,  and  their  infant  children,  un- 
der the  sheltering  roof  of  Mount  Vernon.  Eagerly 
did  that  household  look  for  couriers  from  the 
camp.    At  length,  on  a  frosty  morning,  one  came 
in  hot  haste.    He  announced  the  victory  over 
Cornwallis,  and  there  was  great  joy  at  Mount  Ver- 
non.   With  the  next  breath,  he  told  them  of  the 
severe  illness  of  the  son  and  husband.    Then  there 
was  silence  and  sadness,  and  hasty  preparations 
for  a  journey.    The  wife  sped  to  the  bedside  of 
her  sick  husband.    His  bright  lamp  of  life  had 
dwindled  to  a  flickering  taper.    Washington  soon 
came  to  the  same  chamber,  from  the  field  of  vic- 
tory, thirty  miles  distant.    liI  was  there,"  he 
wrote  to  Lafayette,  "in  time  to  see  poor  Mr.  Cus- 
tis  breathe  his  last.77    In  that  hour  the  young  wife 
was  made  a  widow,  and  the  mistress  of  Mount 
Vernon   a   childless  woman.     The    great  man 
bowed  his  laurelled  head  in  deep  sorrow,  whilst 
his  tears  flowed  freely.    Then  he  spoke  soothing 
words  to  the  widowed  mother,  and  said  :  "  Your 
two  younger  children  I  adopt  as  my  own."  They 
were  placed  in  the  bosom  of  the  smitten  Lady 
Washington,  in  compensation  for  the  loss  of  her 
own  children  ;  and  when  the  canker  of  grief, 


* 


20 


MARTHA  "WASHINGTON. 


left  the  root  of  her  affections,  they  were  in- 
grafted upon  the  Btem,  and  bore  in  abundance  the 
blossoms  and  fruit  of  filial  love,  that  solaced  her 
declining  years.  They  were  pleasant  lamps  in 
the  dwelling  at  that  twilight  hour  of  her  life, 
when  the  chief  luminary  had  been  removed,  and 
extinguished  by  the  vapors  of  the  tomb. 

After  the  peace  of  1783,  Mount  Vernon  became 
a  point  of  great  attraction  to  distinguished  visitors 
from  Europe  and  the  several  American  States. 
Hospitality  was  administered  there  on  a  liberal 
scale.  Mrs.  Washington  performed  its  ceremonies 
with  charming  gaiety  and  sweetness,  yet  never 
forgetting,  in  the  entertainment  of  guests,  the  more 
sober  duties  of  a  thorough  Virginia  housewife. 
She  always  presided  at  the  table,  and  contributed 
her  full  share  to  the  enjoyment  of  the  hour.  ITer 
simple  elegance  of  appearance  and  deportment, 
always  commanded  the  admiration  of  friends  and 
strangers  ;  and  when  her  husband  was  made  the 
Chief  Magistrate  of  the  nation,  and  she  became 
the  conventional  central  figure  in  metropolitan 
society,  her  simple  habits  remained  unchanged, 
and  her  larger  household  was  arranged  upon  the 
frugal  model  of  her  home  at  Mount  Vernon.  She 
and  her  illustrious  husband  gave  a  marked  exam- 
ple of  Republican  simplicity  in  their  daily  life — a 
simplicity  regulated,  however,  by  the  most  uncom- 
promising dignity  demanded  by  their  exalted  posi- 
tion. "  The  example  of  the  President  and  his 
family,"  wrote  Oliver  Wolcott  to  his  wife,  "will  ren- 
der parade  and  expense  improper  and  disreputable/" 


MARTHA  WASHDxGTOX. 


21 


The  weekly  public  receptions  of  Mrs.  Washing* 
ton,  like  those  of  the  President,  were  simple  and 
dignified.  She  was  averse  to  all  ostentatious  show 
and  parade,  yet  she  fully  appreciated  the  gravity 
of  her  position,  and  was  careful  to  exact  those 
courtesies  to  which  she  was  entitled.  Her  visi- 
tors on  such  occasions  were  only  those  persons 
who  were  connected  with  the  Government,  and 
their  families  ;  foreign  ambassadors  and  govern- 
ment agents,  and  their  families  ;  and  others  who 
held  good  positions  in  fashionable  and  refined  soci- 
ety, either  on  their  own  account,  or  their  social 
relations.  All  were  expected  to  be  in  full  dress 
on  those  occasions. 

The  reception,  which  was  always  in  the  evening, 
was  never  allowed  to  last  beyond  the  hour  ap- 
pointed, which  was  from  eight  to  nine.  She  was 
careful  not  to  allow  public  ceremonies  to  interfere 
with  some  of  the  life-long  habits  of  herself  and 
husband.  He  was  usually  at  her  side,  and  when 
the  clock  struck  nine,  she  would  say  to  those  pre- 
sent, with  a  most  complacent  smile,  "  The  Gen- 
eral always  retires  at  nine,  and  I  usually  precede 
him."  In  a  few  minutes  the  drawing-room  would 
be^  closed,  and  the  lights  extinguished  ;  and  the 
Presidential  Mansion  would  be  as  dark  and  quiet 
before  ten  o'clock,  as  the  home  of  any  private 
citizen. 

The  restraints  of  metropolitan  life  were  very 
irksome  to  Mrs.  Washington.  She  was  compelled 
to  be  governed  by  the  etiquette  prescribed  for  her. 
Under  this  discipline  she  was  very  restive,  and 


22 


MARTHA  WASHIXGTO.Y. 


often  yearned  for  the  freedom  and  pure  delights  of 
her  quiet  home  on  the  bank  of  the  Potomac.  To 
the  wife  of  the  President  s  nephew,  she  wrote  : 

"  I  live  a  very  dull  life  here,  and  know  nothing 
that  passes  in  the  town.  I  never  go  to  any  public 
place — indeed  I  think  I  am  more  like  a  State  pri- 
soner than  anything  else.  There  are  certain  hounds 
set  for  me  which  I  must  not  depart  from  ;  and,  as 
I  cannot  do  as  I  like,  I  am  obstinate,  and  stay  at 
home  a  great  deal." 

Mrs.  Washington  always  spoke-  of  the  time  when 
she  was  in  public  life  as  her  "  lost  days.'7  She 
was,  in  every  respect,  a  model  of  a  thrifty  house- 
keeper. All  day  long  that  careful,  bustling,  indus- 
trious little  woman  kept  her  hands  in  motion.  u  Let 
us  repair  to  the  old  lady's  room,"  wrote  Mrs.  Col- 
onel Carrington  from  Mount  Yernon,  to  her  sister, 
a  short  time  before  Washington's  death  : 

"  Let  us  repair  to  the  old  lady's  room,  which  is 
precisely  in  the  style  of  our  good  old  aunt's — that 
is  to  say,  nicely  fixed  for  all  sorts  of  work.  On 
one  side  sits  the  chamber  maid,  with  her  knitting  ; 
on  the  other,  a  little  colored  pet,  learning  to  sew. 
A  decent  old  woman  is  there,  with  her  table  and 
shears,  cutting  out  the  negroes7  winter  clothes, 
while  the  good  old  lady  directs  them  all,  incessantly 
knitting  herself.  She  points  out  to  me  several 
pair,  of  nice  colored  stockings  and  gloves  she  had 
just  finished,  and  presents  me  with  a  pair,  half 
done,  which  she  begs  I  will  finish  and  wear  for  her 
sake.  It  is  wonderful,  after  a  life  spent  as  these 
good  people  have  necessarily  spent  theirs,  to  see 


MARTHA  WASHEsGTOX. 


23 


them,  in  retirement,  assume  those  domestic  habits 
that  prevail  in  our  country." 

Yet  household  duties  never  kept  Martha  Wash- 
ington from  daily  communion  with  God,  in  the 
solitude  of  her  closet.  She  was  a  very  early  riser, 
leaving  her  pillow  at  dawn,  at  every  season  of 
the  year.  After  breakfast,  she  invariably  retired 
to  her  chamber,  where  she  remained  an  hour  read- 
ing the  Scriptures,  and  engaged  in  thanksgiving 
and  prayer.  For  more  than  half  a  century  she 
practised  such  devotions  in  secret ;  and  visitors 
often  remarked  that  when  she  appeared  after  the 
hour  of  spiritual  exercises,  her  countenance  beamed 
with  ineffable  sweetness. 

"When  almost  seventy  years  of  age,  Mrs.  Wash- 
ington was  called  to  endure  her  last  great  life 
trial.  '  Her  illustrious  husband,  with  whom  she 
had  lived  happily  forty  years,  was  suddenly  smit- 
ten by  disease  while  in  the  full  vigor  of  health  ; 
and  after  suffering  less  than  twenty-four  hours,  his 
mighty  spirit  left  for  its  home  with  the  Omnipo- 
tent Father.  The  blow  was  sudden  and  unex- 
pected to  the  bereaved  wife.  She  bore  it  with  the 
fortitude  of  a  faithful  Christian.  When,  as  she  sat 
at  the  foot  of  the  bed  of  her  dying  friend,  his  de- 
parture was  announced  by  the  waving  of  an  atten- 
dant's hand,  "  'Tis  well,"  she  said.  "  All  is  now 
over  ;  I  shall  soon  follow  him  ;  I  have  no  more 
trials  to  pass  through." 

Her  solemn  prophecy  was  soon  fulfilled.  A  little 
more  than  two  years  after  her  husband's  death,  she 
joined  him.    A  fever  consumed  her.  Conscious 


24 


MATCTTTA  WASHINGTON. 


that  the  hour  of  her  departure  was  near,  she  spoke 
to  her  assembled  grand-children  and  other  rela- 
tives, of  the  value  of  Religion  as  the  Great  Com- 
forter of  the  soul,  and  discoursed  to  them  concern- 
ing the  practical  duties  of  life,  and  the  infinite 
importance  of  unceasing  well-doing.  Then  com- 
mending them  and  her  own  spirit  to  the  care  of 
their  Great  Creator,  she  closed  her  eyes,  and  while 
in  secret  prayer,  her  spirit  took  wing  for  the  Land 
of  the  Blessed. 

Side  by  side,  in  white  marble  sarcophagi,  near 
the  bank  of  the  Potomac  and  the  Home  they  loved 
so  well,  repose  the  ashes  of 

GEORGE 


AND 

MARTHA  WASHINGTON. 


JUST  ISSUED, 
A 

FULL-LENGTH  PORTRAIT 

OF 

MARTHA  WASHINGTON. 


THIS  SUPERB  PICTURE, 

ENGRAVED   ON   STEEL    IN   THE   BEST   STYLE   OF  MEZZOTINT, 

is  from  the  painting  by  W.  Oliver  Stone,  after  the  Original 
Portrait  by  Woolaston',  painted  over  a  hundred  years  ago. 

The  engraving  represents  her  as  standing  near  the  corner  of 
the  piazza  of  the  Mount  Vernon  mansion,  with  the  quiet  Poto- 
mac in  the  distance. 

The  figure  is  that  of  a  beautiful  woman,  but  of  matronly 
gravity.  It  is  a  pleasing  picture,  and  every  one  that  has  a  por- 
trait of  the  "  Father  of  our  Country,"  should  possess  this  beauti- 
ful engraving  of  his  noble  companion  in  life. 


Siee  of  Engrated  surface  19  x  26  inches.   Printed  on  paper  26  x  M  inches. 
TERMS. 

PRINTS,   ...    $3  00 

PROOFS  ON  INDIA  PAPER,      .       .       .       .     5  00 

A  few  Artist's  Proofs  at  $10  each,  and  Proofs  before  Lettering  at  $7  50,  can  be  obtained 
of  the  Publisher.    Also,  Prints  handsomely  Colored  at  $10  00  each. 

This  Portrait  is  published  by  subscription,  and  can  only  be  obtained  from  the  Publisher 
or  from  his  duly  authorized  Agents. 


ENGEAVED  AND  PUBLISHED 

BT 

J.    C.  BTJTTEE, 

No.  43  Feaxexix  Steeet, 
NEW  YORK. 


Testimonial  from  the  Won.  Edward  Everett. 

Dear  Sir,  Boston,  11th  April,  1S63. 

The  engraving  of  Mrs.  Washington  in  her  youth,  is  a  very  pleasing  work.  The  like- 
ness, as  far  as  I  remember  the  original,  which  I  saw  some  years  ago  at  Arlington  House, 
is  accurately  copied  from  it,  and  the  composition  is  cheerful  and  in  good  taste.  It  will 
be  a  very  acceptable  addition  to  the  likenesses  of  Mrs.  Washington,  to  those  who  know 
her  only  from  Stuart's  portrait  of  her  in  later  life. 

I  am,  dear  sir,  respectfully  yours, 

J.  C,  Buttre,  Esq.,  New  York.  EDWARD  EVERETT. 


From  Benson  J.  Lossing. 
My  Dear  Sir,  Poughkeepsie,  May  19th,  1S63. 

It  gives  me  great  pleasure  to  acknowledge  the  receipt  of  a  copy  of  your  beautiful 
Engraving  of  Martha  Washington. 

As  a  work  of  art  it  is  very  attractive  ;  as  a  faithful  copy  of  the  Portrait  painted  by 
Woolaston,  it  is  exceedingly  valuable.  I  have  often  seen  and  studied  the  original  at 
Arlington  House,  the  seat  of  Mrs.  Washington's  grandson,  and  once  made  a  careful  copy 
of  it,  in  monochrome ;  and  I  feel  a  peculiar  satisfaction  in  saying  to  you  that  I  regard 
your  picture  as  one  of  the  most  faithful  transcripts  of  that  original,  I  have  ever  seen. 

Very  truly  yours, 

J.  C.  Buttre,  Esq.  BENSON  J.  LOSSING. 


From  William  Cullen  Bryant. 

The  Engraving  of  Woolaston's  Portrait  of  Mrs.  Martha  Washington,  by  J.  C.  Buttre, 
seems  to  me  admirably  well  done,  and  highly  creditable  to  the  artist.  At  the  present 
moment,  when  the  history  and  character  of  Washington  are  invested  by  the  circum- 
stances of  the  time  with  new  interest,  there  are  numbers  who  will  be  glad  to  possess  so 
fine  a  likeness  of  the  beautiful  and  dignified  lady  who  presided  over  his  household. 

New  York,  May  23d,  1S63.  W.  C.  BRYANT. 


Empty  Sleeve  : 

STEEL  ENGRAVING, 

BY 

J.  C.  BUTTRE, 

FROM  AN  ORIGINAL  DRAWING 

BY 

Miss  A.  R.  SAWYER. 


Published  by 

J.  0.  BUTTEE,  48  Franklin  Street,  New  York, 


Cjy*  fcptg  Sftttbt. 


By  David  Barker. 

By  the  moon's  pale  light,  to  the  gazing  throng, 
Let  me  tell  one  tale,  let  me  sing  one  song ; 

'Tis  a  tale  devoid  of  an  aim  or  plan, 

'Tis  a  simple  song  of  a  one-arm  man ; 

Till  this  very  hour  I  could  ne'er  believe 
What  a  tell-tale  thing  is  an  empty  sleeve, 

What  a  weird,  queer  thing  is  an  empty  sleeve. 

It  tells  in  a  silent  tone  to  all, 
Of  a  country's  need  and  a  country's  call ; 

Of  a  kiss  and  a  tear  for  a  child  and  wife, 
xVnd  a  hurried  march  for  a  nation's  life ; 

Till  this  very  hour  who  could  e'er  believe 

What  a  tell-tale  thing  is  an  empty  sleeve, 
What  a  weird,  queer  thing  is  an  empty  sleeve  ? 

It  tells  of  a  battle-field  of  gore, 
Of  the  sabre's  clash,  of  the  cannon's  roar ; 

Of  the  deadly  charge,  of  the  bugle's  note, 
Of  a  gurgling  sound  in  a  foeman's  throat ; 

Of  the  whizzing  grape,  of  the  fiery  shell, 
Of  a  scene  which  mimics  the  scenes  of  hell ; 

Till  this  very  hour  would  you  e'er  believe, 

What  a  tell-tale  thing  is  an  empty  sleeve, 
What  a  weird,  queer  thing  is  an  empty  sleeve  ? 

Though  it  points  to  a  myriad  wounds  and  scars, 
Yet  it  tells  that  a  flag  with  the  stripes  and  stars 

In  God's  own  chosen  time  will  take 
Each  place  of  the  rag  with  the  rattlesnake  ; 

And  it  points  to  a  time  when  that  flag  shall  wave 
O'er  a  land  where  breathes  no  cowering  slave. 

To  the  top  of  the  skies  let  us  all  then  heave 

One  proud  huzza  for  the  empty  sleeve, 
For  the  one-arm  man  and  the  empty  sleeve. 


The  Lincoln  Family  in  1861. 


Engraved  on  Steel  by  J.  C.  Buttre, 
Prom  the  Original  Painting  by 
FRANK     B .  CARPENTER. 


The  reputation  of  Mr.  Carpenter  as  an  Artist  tl  world-wide,  and  henceforward  Inseperably 
connected  with  our  National  History.  For  nix  months  he  resided  at  the  Whito  House,  while 
engaged  upon  his  gnat  picture  of  "  Tho  First  Reading  <>1  flic  Emancipation 
Proclamation/'  and  in  daily  and  close  Intimacy  with  our  lamented  President  and  hia 
Family,  enjoyed  unsurpassable  facilities  for  accurately  portraying  their  features  naturally  and 
correctly.  Indeed,  the  portraits  of  Mr.  Carpenter  are  recognized  without  question  as  being 
literally  perfect,  and  his  paintings  of  11  The  Good  President "  are  forever  standard 
and  national.  And  such  is  the  well-merited  fame  of  the  Artist,  that  his  works  need  no  cre- 
dentials to  recommend  them  to  popular  favor. 

Boon  after  the  lamented  death  of  our  great  and  good  leader,  at  the  request  of  Mr.  Bcttre, 
Mr.  Carpenter  painted  with  the  utmost  care  and  truthfulness  an  admirable  picture,  M  The 
LINCOLN  FAMILY  In  1861,"  and  for  several  months  Mr.  Bittre  has  been 
diligently  engaged  in  engraving  it  upon  steel  in  the  finest  style  of  his  art.  It  1b  now  nearly 
completed,  and  will  soon  be  issued.  The  well-known  works  of  the  engraver  are  sufficient 
guarantee  for  its  artistic  transferred  to  the  steel  plate. 

MR.  LINCOLN  wrrn  ni3  FAMILY  is  represented  by  the  artist  in  the  privacy  of  domestic 
life  in  the  first  year  of  his  Administration,  before  death  had  removed  from  the  home  circle 
either  the  little  son  or  the  beloved  father.  The  dessert  ha9  just  been  discussed,  and  little 
"  Tad  "  stands  by  the  side  of  his  father  who  is  reading  to  the  attentive  group,  while  little 
"Willie"  sits  near  his  mother's  feet,  and  Robert  (subsequently  a  Captain  on  the  Staff  of 
General  Grant)  has  just  arisen  from  the  table,  and  stands  listening  to  his  father's  accents. 
It  is  a  delightful  home  picture,  and  historical  as  well,  for  the  excellent  portraits  will  ever 
command  the  attention  of  posterity. 

The  length  of  time  that  this  plate  has  been  in  the  engraver's  hands  is  an  evidence  of 
the  care  with  which  it  is  prepared,  while,  as  has  been  said,  the  names  of  the  artist  and  the 
engraver  are  sufficient  guarantee  of  accuracy  and  artistic  beauty. 


Size  of  Engraving,  18  x  25^  inches.   Paper,  26  x  34  inches. 


SUBSCRIPTION  PRICES: 

ARTIST'S  PROOFS  (Signed),  $20 ;   INDIA  PROOFS,  $10  ;   PRINTS,  $5. 


J.  C.  BUTTRE,  Publisher,  48  Franklin  St.,  New  York. 


The  Engraving  wol  be  Sold  by  Subscription  oxlt. 


\ 


